Telegram-herald., 1887-12-04
POVERTY Of PARIS
SHADOWS IN Tre FRENCH caFlTs-.
Census OF fhs Exsste4t issixeEes- ons
Hundred asa FoFtF Ttoasand People
fnFsiIsz fsr r Fab is CAslfsy
~ f.aesrs - fareiss ktrtA.

Who has not IA nks rssaads eve linked the
name Paris with ssysty Sad pleSs0res " 40
has not e0Rceiyes PARIS = vast hsvsn where
the cares of earth are csss aside where mis-
cry and Fnlsf0rt1as are uAkno~n, where
human eajesnaent has reached lie climax,
and where fountains Of pare silver have
an uncessiag aows Tie casual tourist
fnds no eonrrssicsiOR Ia tRis rosests idea.
for Paris ia itssf is d werla wkose ysfie-
gated social strata present separate studies
which could be Prontsbiy pursued far 4 hfs-
time Tks French save tks happy faculty
OF presenting the bright size Of everything,
vhiie their proysrbial good sasnnsfs a1a an
additional luster weicb is well calculated 10
satisfy the ordinary mind
Bat Paris without riches and poverty, vice
anu virtue, Happiness ana misery, would, in-
deed, be strange anomaly OF human asso-
citation. Ii is true We Get WAL. OF certain
phases OF Partisan life fron the Confession
OF Claud, "L'Asonoir' or Camille, Yet
it is hard 10 believe that sucn a degree of de-
pravity has a secure footing in the Preach
capital. The facts have not been overdra"n,
however, the oaly dispute being the extent
70 which vice has obtained
THE CENSUS OF INDiGKScY.
As to the existent iEdigency more rational
data can be obtained. Every three years
census is taken Of the population enrolled al
the benefcence Offices Of the twenty districts
into watch Paris is divided The object OF
the census is twofoS First, by is are OBJ
tanned the names OF all persons who are en-
titled TO public aid; second, a close study is
made Of their true situation with view 10
rendering as many as possible sell sustaining.
/ According TO the previous register there
were enrolled for public charity 81 ,ssl heads
Of families, representing lac, ,5S5 persons. The
board Of visitors have eliminated 400 heads
OF families, representing II ,e60, leaving regis
tered at present A. ,s27 heads Of families or
+ l23, ,34 persons. Comparing this result with
: that of 1850 we find the number Of heads OF
families has increased by S12 while the in
dividuals comprised have diminished by al.
Each dependent domestic group is therefore
relatively less numerous, while the individual
applicants have sensibly increased In 1850
Paris had /, ,Ss5. .606 inhabitants and l35, 735
indigents or 6. y per cent. To-day the popu-
lation Is ,209, eco. of which 5. 4S per cent are
dependent on public charity.
In all the districts the number OF assisted
women is far greater than that OF the rnen.
For every "A males enrolled q, ere are Al fe-
males This is easily explained on the
grounds that the labor OF women is less re-
nlunerstive, and they have less repugDance
ia recurring TO the public charities.
PAuFERs OF FOREIGN BIRTH
The native Parisians ara by no means the
majority of those whose Eames are on the
dependent rolls For every 900, Paris and
It's Department ef the Seine furnishes 227 :;
the provinces, 1ec; foreign, o. Taking l, 900
names of those OF .fsrsign birth, the Germans
lead with 4of; BelgSans 35e; Dutch, 152;
Italians, 81; English, 10; Spaniards, g.:
Americans and Turks, o. 1t win be observed
that Germany furnishes by far the larger
number of Partisan paupsrs OF foreign birth
This is explained by the fact that the Ger
mans are the most migratory Of oil people,
and in search OF the daily bread" have in
vadea the vorld
N gezersl the German enigrant is a model
Of industry, economy and OF irrsproschable
customs. and putting in practice the French
proverb thst "theTs are no senseless occupa-
ticns, theirs are only senseless people" have
undertaken almost every department Of labor
and trade. The Frenchman who enjoys in
his own country an easily won livelihood
and an excellent climate seldom crosses the
frontier while the German, whose conGi-
tions are less favorable. is found widely
scattered
The lodsment Of the army Of paupers in
Paris forms en- interesting study. More than
fourth part live almost gratuitously, con
fined in grots. caverns aud cellars: one half
pay from 100 to 2 900 francs rent per sanun.
Sixty one per cent. Of these holes or hovcls
have only one bed. the rest have two, three,
four end even FIVE apartments The inhabit-
ants Of these rooms belong to all professions
comprising thousands Of the fruits secs OF al
in all its manifestations aud forms-Ssn
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